Godolphin pay £85,000 to add shock ‘proven performer' into Juddmonte – but there's a catch
The Andre Fabre-trained dual Listed winner Birr Castle is a surprise addition to the star-studded field.
1
But he will be given absolutely zero orders to win the £1.25million Group 1.
And instead be used solely as a pacemaker for the John & Thady Gosden-trained Ombudsman.
The Clarehaven team are busy readying their stable star for his big rematch with Aidan O'Brien's Delacroix in Wednesday's blockbuster.
And they want to ensure he gets a good gallop after being chinned late on by the Irish raider in the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown.
Birr Castle, a five-year-old gelding who was beaten just a length by Ace Impact in 2023 before he went onto win the Arc de Triomphe, will be used to set the early fractions.
The last thing the Gosdens want is a dawdling pace which could play into Delacroix's rapid finishing kick.
Master trainer Gosden - who was seen in a tense conversation with jockey William Buick after the Eclipse - told the Racing Post: "The Eclipse was a muddling race and we didn't want the prospect of a repeat.
"Godolphin have kindly provided us with a nice horse to use as a pacemaker and he arrives sometime today.
"It's no good putting something like a 75-rated horse in there as they can't do the job and hopefully Ombudsman can get a nice pace to aim at next week.
"This is just a one off, the plan is for Birr Castle to return to Andre after the race."
.
Remember to gamble responsibly
A responsible gambler is someone who:
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
How Manchester City and Pep Guardiola got the 'fire in the belly' back: Erling Haaland's targets, the stars with most to prove, Hugo Viana's immediate impact and the truth about Gianluigi Donnarumma and Rodrygo
Pep Guardiola burst through one wing of an aristocratic villa that was in danger of becoming a little claustrophobic. A hoodie on, the guy sweltered in Sicilian heat at gone 9pm. A seemingly never-ending day still had some embers left. He looked frazzled and the season, a season that could define the final acts of Guardiola's time in England, hadn't even started yet.
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
How Luton Town stopped the slump: Matt Bloomfield reveals the turning point for the Hatters, the one thing they refuse to discuss and what's new this summer as they target rapid return to Championship
After back-to-back relegations and sinking from the Premier League to League One in little over a year, you could forgive the Luton Town powerbrokers if they spent their summer sitting around feeling sorry for themselves. But two days after the drop was confirmed, boss Matt Bloomfield walked into a room with chairman Gary Sweet, assistant manager Richard Thomas and operations chief James Mooney – and told them there was no point in looking back. From here, the only way is up.
Sky News
2 hours ago
- Sky News
Minute's silence for Diogo Jota cut short because of boos
A minute's silence in memory of Diogo Jota ahead of the Community Shield at Wembley had to be cut short due to shouting from a small number of Crystal Palace fans. Tributes were paid before kick-off to the former Liverpool forward, 28, and his younger brother Andre Silva, who died in a car crash in Spain on 3 July. Reds fans, some of whom had booed the national anthem, paid respects with a rousing rendition of You'll Never Walk Alone as wreaths were laid on the pitch. But referee Chris Kavanagh cut the minute's silence short after just 20 seconds when it was disturbed by a minority of fans from the Palace end. The interruption was met with a strong response from the Liverpool end, while Eagles supporters also tried to silence those not observing the tribute. Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk said he was "disappointed" by the incident after his side lost on penalties after a 2-2 draw. "I don't know who did that but there was plenty trying to shush it down, but obviously that doesn't help it," he said. "But it is what it is. You can't control how many fans were here today? Was it 80,000 people? So, yeah, it is disappointing to hear that, but if that person or those persons can go home and be happy with themselves, then..." Liverpool head coach Arne Slot played down the interruption, saying: "I don't think this was planned, or that this was the idea of the fan that made some noise. Maybe he wasn't aware of the fact that it was the minute of silence. "He was just still happy and tried to cheer for his team. And I think then the fans of Palace were trying to calm that person or those persons down, so I don't think he had a bad intention, the guy or people that made noise. "They tried to calm him down, but that was a bit noisy as well. And then our fans reacted: 'Hey, what's happening here?' "So I don't think there's a bad intention to it, because the fans of Crystal Palace and everywhere around the world have paid huge respect to Diogo and Andre and this was, I think, unlucky or, I can't find the right words, but I don't think there was a bad intention in it."
